1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to fiber optic connector assemblies for optical fiber cables and, more particularly, fiber optic connector assemblies having a reverse optical fiber loop for stress management of the optical fiber within the connector.
2. Technical Background
Fiber optic cables are an attractive alternative to bulky traditional conductor cables, especially as data rates increase. As the use of fiber optics migrates into numerous consumer electronics applications, such as connecting computer peripherals by the use of fiber optic cable assemblies, there will be a consumer driven expectation for cables having improved bandwidth performance, compatibility with future communication protocols, and a broad range of use. For example, it is likely that bandwidth demands will continue to increase with newer protocols such as universal serial bus specification version 3.0 (USB 3.0) or Thunderbolt™ owned by the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. and that optical-based connectors will transition into these applications that previously used cable assemblies having electrical-based conductors.
During use or manufacturing, stresses on optical fibers within the fiber optic cable assembly may cause fatigue and damage to the optical fibers, as well as other components, within the fiber optic connector of the fiber optic cable assembly. Such stresses in cable assemblies having internal optical alignment components may also cause optical misalignment between the optical fibers and optical components within the connector, such as light emitting and receiving active components or the like. For example, forces applied to the optical fibers may transfer to optical components within the fiber optic connector, which has the ability to negatively affect performance. Stresses may include tensile stresses due to external forces on the optical cable, as well as changes in length due to thermal coefficient of expansion effects may also cause concerns with alignment.